"Mid-twenties life circumstances were poor and I really plummeted," Rowling said, recalling friends had to help her pay the security deposit for her apartment rental – where she would eventually begin writing about the boy wizard, which would spawn a $14 billion industry.

"The thing that made me go for help was probably my daughter," said Rowling, referring to the then-infant, Jessica, reports the Telegraph. "She was something that earthed me, grounded me, and I thought, this isn't right, this can't be right, she cannot grow up with me in this state.”

'Get Out' of Depression

Through a circuitous route – her regular doctor was away at the time of her crisis – Rowling eventually met with a therapist, who helped her "get out" of the depression.

"The funny thing is, I have never been remotely ashamed of having been depressed. Never," she says. "I think I'm abnormally shameless on that account because what's to be ashamed of?"

Seeking to remove any stigma that might be attached to seeking counseling, Rowing now advises all those suffering from depression to "go and get help."